An Enchanted Book: The Untold Tales
by Amarix
Summary: Hallie and Liz are back from their trip to Middle Earth... but something's a little weird. Liz' copy of Lord of the Rings is enchanted! Follow our two favorite heroes as they get stranded, drunk, and otherwise entertained by retellings of Lord of the Rings! Companion to the Compass.
1. Break-Ups

**Hey! My goodness, it's been forever, ya? But you still love me. Enjoy the new story!**

* * *

**Trip 1: Aragorn's-Breaking-Up-With-Arwen-Say-What?**

**Hallie - June 3rd - The Enchanted Book**

If you must know, it started just like any other day. Liz had come over before lunch, and we sat in front of the TV, watching The Two Towers: Extended Version. I must say, the extended versions are much better than the theatrical. Liz and I laughed at the funny faces made by Aragorn in the movies, counted the number of times Legolas stared off into the distance, and cheered when Gimli beat said elf in the orc-killing competition. As soon as the credits began to roll, we shut off the DVD player- we didn't have time to watch another movie before Liz' mom came to pick her up (she wasn't sixteen yet).

When the DVD was all put away, Liz turned to me, an excited look on her face. "I totally forgot," she said, "but I have to show you something."

She reached into her backpack and pulled out her worn copy of The Lord of the Rings that had made the journey to Middle Earth in April. I remembered her being so surprised and relieved when she found it in her backpack upon our return to New York. Gandalf had thought of everything, from healing our wounds (there were no longer burns on my arms) to making sure our cell phones were charged. It was pretty cool. She opened up the book to the Appendices and found the timeline. She pushed the book over to me and placed her finger over a date marked 1425 (In Shire years, the time we'd arrived). "Look," she said.

I'd spent an awful long time poring over my own copy of The Lord of the Rings, searching for any mention of us or the Castle, but found nothing. I didn't remember 1425 ever being part of my timeline. Curious, I leaned over to see the following:

1425 - King Elessar and Queen Arwen welcome their first son in the latter months of this year.

"What in the world? A kid?" I breathed, astonished. I looked up at Liz. "When did this appear?"

"About four days ago," she replied, "I didn't tell you yet because I wasn't sure if it was just my book that had changed... or if it had changed at all." She leaned closer. "You know what? I think my Lord of the Rings might be enchanted."

I was skeptical. Maybe we'd just never noticed that particular entry before. "Are you sure?"

"It's just a guess. As soon as the timeline changes again, I'll let you know. Then we'll have proof."

"What would it mean if it was enchanted, anyway?"

"I don't know. Maybe it will be like our own Middle Earth news channel?" Liz replied. I smiled. It would be nice to know what was going on over there... it might even give us a clue as to when, if ever, we were going to return.

I shrugged. I was fine with waiting for more proof on the matter. We spent the next few minutes looking through her book, laughing at certain parts. Ever since we returned, Liz and I had shared a Lord of the Rings obsession. We could spend hours poring over the book and never get bored. "Hey, I remember this," I said, "This is when Aragorn pretty much tries to break up with Arwen. I always wanted to slug him for that."

My finger dipped down towards the page and touched the passage to which I was referring. I saw a brilliant flash of light, and when it cleared, Liz and I found ourselves in a beautiful place we instantly recognized.

"Rivendell," Liz breathed, amazed.

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," I responded.

**Liz - December 25th, 1418 (according to the timeline) - We're in Middle Earth?**

We were in Rivendell. I looked around, completely astonished. Hallie and I were crouching behind a bush next to a small pavillion that overlooked the courtyard next to a gate. I stared at Hallie, who was grinning from ear to ear. She started to get up. "We're back! I wonder how long it's been!"

I yanked her back down. "Don't you recognize this?" I pointed down to the courtyard, where an elf I recognized as Legolas was saddling a horse. Gimli was there too, strapping one of his axes to his back. But the part that really threw me for a loop was the fact that four hobbits were wandering around next to Gimli and Legolas. It was Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin.

I looked over at Hallie, whose eyes grew wide. "The Fellowship hasn't left yet?" she whispered. "Does that mean we traveled back in time?"

"What did you do?" I hissed, half-punching her. Hallie looked taken aback.

"I just touched the passage I was talking about, the part where Aragorn almost breaks up with Arwen."

I opened my mouth to say something, but was cut off by footsteps coming close to us. Immediately and on reflex, I wrapped my arm around Hallie and became invisible. That bush wasn't anywhere near big enough to shade us from prying eyes.

Peeking out from around the bush, I saw that those footsteps belonged to Aragorn. Knowing Hallie, she'd try to call out to him, so I slapped my hand over her mouth. She glared at me. A second later, Arwen was seen walking right behind him. She put her hand on his shoulder, and he turned to look at her.

"Is this how you would take your leave?" she asked. Aragorn turned away again and began to walk towards the Fellowship. My jaw dropped and my hand slipped from around Hallie's mouth.

Arwen walked around to face him, and made him stop. "Did you think you could slip away at first light- unnoticed?"

He made his way around her. "I will not be coming back."

Arwen continued to follow him while Hallie and I watched, slack-jawed. Was this really happening? "You underestimate your skill in battle," Arwen continued. "You will come back."

Aragorn finally stopped to face her. "It is not of death in battle I speak." Arwen, Hallie, and I were completely taken aback.

"What do you speak of?" Arwen asked, placing a hand on Aragorn's arm. He looked down at her long, delicate fingers as if engraving them into his memory for the last time. Idiot, I thought. Why are you doing this to her?

"You have a chance for another life. Away from war... grief... despair." Hallie looked about ready to slap him, and I wasn't far behind. As infuriating as this scene is in the movies, it's worse to witness.

Arwen's eyes grew wide. "Why are you saying this?"

"I am mortal. You are elf-kind. It was a dream, Arwen. Nothing more." I was so entranced by the scene before me that I didn't notice Hallie picking up a small rock beside me.

"I don't believe you," Arwen said, looking angry (or as angry as elves could ever be).

Aragorn took her hand in his and placed the Evenstar into her cupped palm. "This belongs to you," he said.

If elves could have slapped someone, I suppose Arwen would have slapped him then. "It was a gift. Keep it." She closed his fingers around the Evenstar.

Too late, I noticed a rock flying through the air towards Aragorn's head. "Idiot!" Hallie shouted. I grabbed her and put my hand back over her mouth again. What was she thinking?

The rock hit Aragorn on the head with a solid thump, and he spun around to face the bush where we were hiding. Arwen was staring in our direction with a look of slight amusement on her face. Seeing nothing, Aragorn turned away, rubbing his head, and walked in the direction of the Fellowship.

A few seconds later, we heard him yelling at Merry and Pippin- something about respecting privacy and the dangers of throwing rocks at people. I chuckled.

Suddenly, I saw a bright light, and when it faded, I was staring at Hallie's television. We were back.

**Hallie - June 3rd - I just hit Aragorn in the head with a rock**

We were in Rivendell one moment, and sitting on my couch the next. I pulled Liz' hand off my mouth and flashed back into view. Seconds later, Liz became visible again. We sat there, staring into the distance for a second and trying to grasp what had just happened.

"Why in the world did you throw a rock at Aragorn's head?" Liz shouted, incredulous.

"He was being a complete idiot! He shouldn't break up with Arwen!" I shouted back.

"You could have changed the entire timeline of the Lord of the Rings! We could have ruined the entire book! What were you thinking?"

I rolled my eyes. "Check your timeline, then, and tell me if anything has changed."

She eyed her Lord of the Rings book. "Do you think that we'll go back if I touch it?"

"You touched the Appendices, and we didn't go anywhere."

Carefully, she picked up the book and thumbed through the War of the Ring timeline in the Appendices. After a minute, she sighed. "Nothing's changed."

"See? It wasn't that bad!" I was excited. Then my eyes grew wide. "Wait... do you think we could go back to... our time... with the book?"

Liz shook her head. "I don't know. We touched the timeline before, and it didn't work. Maybe it only works with a real story?"

I pushed her hand down onto a random year in the timeline. Nothing happened. "I guess you're right." Then I laughed. "I suppose your book really is enchanted."

She smiled. "Told you."

We stared at the book, grinning. We had a key back to Middle Earth, sitting in our hands! The only problem... it was the wrong time. I frowned. Could we talk to anyone in the Fellowship? Should we? Would it change our future in any way? I looked at Liz. She was evidently thinking the same thing.

"We probably shouldn't talk to anyone in the Fellowship," Liz said slowly.

I sighed in agreement, slightly disappointed. It was like someone handing you a candy bar and telling you not to eat it. And you knew you couldn't eat it, but wanted to anyway.

"We should have some rules," Liz continued.

"One: don't talk to anyone. Two: don't mess with the plot." I responded. "Does that work?"

"I guess so," she replied. Then she grinned. "Up for round two?"

I smiled at her.

"Ooh! There's something that I've always wanted to do." Liz picked up the book and paged through it. "Here it is!" Slowly, she moved her finger towards the page.

* * *

**Where to next? Have any ideas? Do tell! Hope you like!**


	2. Hobbit Parties

**Whoa! Readers! Awesome! So... just a quick author's note, because I know no one likes these. Thanks to horseyyay and Jasmin (sorry if I didn't spell this right) for reviews! We always love those. And sorry for taking so long to upload. My writing comrade and I are in the middle of a big project right now. **

**So on that note... DUN DUN DUN (drum roll) The Hourglass is coming out very, very soon! Like, next week or so! So, if you haven't read The Compass yet, I encourage you to look around for it! It's definitely not your everyday Middle Earth story. And for my loyal band of Compass fans, get ready for the second installment! Yay!**

* * *

**Liz - September 22, 1401 - The Birthday Party of Bilbo Baggins**

The sound of music and chattering hobbits filled our ears. "Bilbo's eleventy-first birthday party," I said, grinning.

Hallie and I were crouching behind ale barrels that were taller than most of the hobbits at the party. Hallie was looking around, eyes full of wonder. "This is so cool!"

I looked around for my Lord of the Rings book. "Hey, my book isn't here. Did it come with us last time?"

Hallie looked around. "I don't know. I don't remember it being there, but we were kind of entranced by Aragorn and Arwen."

"Now, forgive me for forgetting your names- too many cousins, you see- but who might you be?" We whipped around and came face to face with an elderly hobbit that I instantly recognized. It was Bilbo Baggins.

I looked over at Hallie, debating what effect us disappearing might have on the plot, when she suddenly stepped forward and held out her hand. "My name is Lily, and this is...Aniesa."

I would have punched her, but then I realized: what other option did we have? Our disappearance might lead Bilbo to guard the Ring more fiercely and not leave it behind at all. We couldn't run from him- he might think we were thieves. After all, we were almost two feet taller than most of the guests at the party. Also, if we'd run, Gandalf would probably notice and then we'd be subjected to questioning by a wizard. So... I suppose the worst we could do is enjoy the party and let everyone assume we were particularly tall cousins or something.

I created an illusion around us so that our hair looked curlier and we were wearing dresses. I wasn't sure if Bilbo would notice, but I didn't have much of a choice.

I moved forward and shook Bilbo's hand.

"Ah, yes, Lily and Aniesa. I believe I remember you, uh, cousins on my mother's side."

We nodded like we totally knew what he was talking about.

"Have you met Frodo?" Bilbo asked. We shook our heads. "Well, then, you must come here. He's turning thirty-three today and coming of age, though he's not receiving as much attention."

He led up through the party, ducking occasionally behind barrels when the Sacksville-Bagginses came too close. I glanced down at my feet and was suddenly glad Hallie and I weren't wearing shoes. We crouched and slouched as best we could, but we still stuck out at the party like sore thumbs. Eventually we made our way over to where Frodo sat. He was laughing and watching Sam dance with Rosie. Hallie and I glanced at each other, smiling. It was kind of strange to see them here, not even dating, when in our time they'd had three children.

"Frodo, I'd like you to meet Lily and Aniesa. They're cousins on my mother's side."

Frodo smiled at us and shook our hands. Having a serious moment of fangirl-ism right now. Bilbo wandered off then to go tell the hobbit children a story, and we were left in a sort of awkward silence with Frodo, who was watching Sam spin round and round on the dance floor with Rosie.

Hallie leaned in to whisper in my ear. "How long do you think we're going to be here this time?"

"Until the end of the party, I guess."

Well. We were at a hobbit party. Bilbo's eleventy-first birthday- the day he disappeared and left Bag End and the Ring to Frodo. The day that Frodo's journey with the Ring began.

I guess the least we could do is have a little fun, right?

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a bit of movement. I glanced over and saw Merry and Pippin sneaking around the party, carrying cups of ale. I smiled.

"Hallie," I said, "Merry and Pippin are over there."

She looked at me, slightly puzzled. And then a look of understanding came over her face and she smiled. "We should go pay them a visit."

So we left Frodo to the dances and made our way over to where Merry and Pippin were sitting. They were staring up at the fireworks that Gandalf was throwing into the sky. We moved closer.

"They're pretty fireworks, aren't they?" Hallie started. Pippin and Merry looked up at her in surprise. She held out her hand. "I'm Lily."

"And I'm Aniesa." I smiled.

"I'm Merry... and this is Pippin." Merry looked at us, and then glanced back up to the glittering sparks that danced across the sky. I was reminded of Iris' fireworks.

"I wish I could light a firework like that." It was Pippin. He seemed completely entranced.

Hallie smiled. "Why not? Gandalf's got a whole cart of them. I'm sure he wouldn't notice if one was missing."

Pippin stared at her. "I never thought of that."

My eyes grew wide. But... it was in the book and the movies... had Pippin and Merry never even given that a thought?

Did that mean we were supposed to be here?

**Hallie - September 22nd, 1401 - Lighting Up the Party**

Merry and Pippin hadn't even thought of 'borrowing' a firework from Gandalf? Well, this was slightly confusing, to say the least. Did that mean we were supposed to be here? Were we supposed to help Merry and Pippin with their firework-stealing charade?

The hobbits in question were currently discussing the benefits of stealing such a firework. Risky business, you know.

"Should we do it?" I heard Pippin ask. They were huddled around and talking in not-so-quiet whispers. If you asked me, they were making it pretty obvious that they were planning something.

"Dunno, Pip," Merry said. "I don't think Gandalf would be very happy."

"It'll be spectacular. No one will ever know it was us!"

"I do like the idea...let's do it!"

And so they carried out their plan. They hid behind the cart. Gandalf came and grabbed some more fireworks. Pippin came out from the tent and Merry boosted him into the cart. There were a lot of fireworks, but the two troublemakers decided to pick the biggest one.

Then they went inside the tent and proceeded to light it. I was going to mention that they should have probably done it outside...but they seemed to have forgotten that we were there.

Liz and I decided to stay at a safe distance away. We knew what was going to happen.

We heard the snap of a match and Pippin's voice, saying, "Done!"

"You're supposed to stick it in the ground!" Merry said.

"It is in the ground." No it isn't.

"Outside!" Oh, so now you mention it? Good job, Merry!

And the last thing I heard was, "This was your idea!" and then the firework (and the tent) shot up into the sky.

Hobbits all around us cheered in glee, which quickly turned to fear, and then more cheering again as the dragon burst into sparks.

Naturally, Merry and Pippin were stuck doing dishes.

At least they were happy.

For the rest of the night, Hallie and I had a blast. We talked to Frodo and Sam (the way Sam looks at Rosie reminds me of the way Eddy sometimes looked at Iris before they started dating). We had cake. We listened to Bilbo's stories. And the food! Liz was on Cloud Nine. It was fun. Hobbits sure know how to party.

And then Bilbo gave his speech. And I wanted to cry. For Frodo, because there was so much ahead of him, and he would never be the same. For Sam, because he would have to be the strongest. For Merry and Pippin, because their innocence would be lost.

And on that happy note, the scene faded away until Liz and I were back in my living room.

* * *

**Where do you want to see Hallie and Liz? Review and let us know!**


	3. I Hate Ale

**Hello again, my fabulous readers! The Hourglass comes up soon, yay! Probably next week. And we're definitely looking forward to this second installment! Thanks to all who reviewed, it always makes my day! It's nice to know people are reading. Reminder to all that we still are taking suggestions and we'll be writing as quickly as possible! So enjoy this extremely funny chapter!**

* * *

**Hallie - June 22nd - The Travel Agency of Middle Earth**

It was some time before we were able to take another trip via Liz' book. But in the meantime, we wrote down places we wanted to go, things we'd always wanted to see with our own eyes.

"The Battle of Pelennor Fields." I said, smiling.

"How about Council of Elrond?" Liz returned.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, "I know! What about the party after the Battle of Helm's Deep?"

Liz' smile widened, and I knew that we had our place for the day. We were at a park, backpacks loaded with supplies should we end up somewhere... strange. We stashed the backpacks behind some trees and sat there in the cool shade for a moment before Liz pulled out her copy of The Lord of the Rings. Slowly and carefully, we flipped to the pages describing that party.

We placed our fingers on the words, and in a flash of blinding light, we found ourselves in the middle of a shindig. Rohirrim were wandering around holding pints of ale. Liz and I glimpsed Merry and Pippin over by the bar. I turned around, smiling in complete and utter bliss, and almost walked straight into Gimli.

I dropped my head immediately. None of the characters should be allowed to see us- we'd agreed on that. We might change the outcome of the book.

"Watch where you're going, boy," Gimli grumbled as he walked over to a table where Legolas and Eomer were waiting, presumably to begin the famous drinking game. I rushed back over where Liz was leaning against one of the walls.

"This is so cool," I breathed.

"Yeah it is." She smiled. "Look who it is." I followed her finger to see Aragorn and Eowyn having their awkward one-sided flirting moment and almost burst out laughing.

Aragorn seriously had no idea she was in love with him.

"We should stalk them," Liz said, laughing. My eyes grew wide and my smile wider.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

And so we did. For about thirty minutes or so, we watched Aragorn and Eowyn's increasingly awkward interactions. Aragorn stopped by to watch the progress of the drinking game between Legolas and Gimli, laughing at Gimli's strange, garbled phrases and Legolas' stranger reaction to drinking.

"Still don't feel a thing," Legolas would mutter. A few minutes later, he'd say something along the lines of: "This drink tastes horrible. Elvish wine is much better."

Once or twice, I would catch Gandalf's eye on us. He seemed to be a mix of confused and amused by our appearance. Each time I noticed him staring at us, Liz and I would move farther into a crowd.

We were standing behind a column, staring at Eomer and Aragorn as they watched the party. A drunk Rohirrim walked by, looking us up and down. He stared at us. "You boys need an ale?" he asked.

We shook our heads no, hoping he would just nod and pass us by, leaving us to our fangirl-y moments. But he didn't.

"We have beaten back the orcs at Helm's Deep!" the soldier shouted, gaining the attention of a few of his buddies. "You have a right to celebrate!"

Liz and I stared at each other. This was not going to end well for us.

"In fact," he continued, as his friends wandered over, "you should participate in a drinking game."

**Liz - March 5, 1419 - Why Do I Ever Listen to Hallie?**

Just for the record, it was Hallie's idea to come here.

And therefore, anything that happened to us here was definitely her fault.

The Rohirrim soldier- his name was Talrin- wouldn't leave us alone. After a while, we found ourselves at a table, staring at pints of ale.

I've never had beer before in my life. And I had decided a long time ago that I wasn't ever going to try beer. I'm pretty sure Hallie tried it at home with her parents once, and she said it tasted horrible.

For some reason I was involved in a drinking game. Against Hallie. A bunch of Rohirrim were around us now, cheering. I was trying to think of a way to quietly bow out when Legolas walked by, obviously curious about the ruckus.

I panicked, okay? We weren't supposed to let any of the character see us, and I figured Legolas had a long memory. If he saw me now, he would totally recognize me later. So I grabbed the pint. And chugged.

After that, Hallie had no choice but to grab her pint too, because now we were involved in a full-fledged drinking game.

This is not a good moment for me.

About a pint and a half later, we were both starting to feel the effects of the ale. My head was fuzzy, my fingers were numb, and I felt like I was floating.

"I fought a fire-breathing Buster once," Hallie said.

I giggled in a very unlady-like way. It was probably okay, though, because the Rohirrim thought we were guys. Given our short hair and pants. "Shhhh..." I muttered, looking at her over my glass. "The government told us to keep that all hush-hush."

Hallie took another sip. "Buster wasn't very cool, ya know? He was all like, 'Rawr, I'm gonna eatcha,' and I'm all like, 'Dude, I'm not a kabob, how come we can't just be friends?'"

"You know who was less cool?" I said. "Greg. That guy had some sort of emotionally-scarring backstory."

The Rohirrim were laughing at us now. But for some reason I didn't care.

Hallie leaned closer. "I think Haldir had a man-crush on him." I could smell the ale on her breath, and I'm pretty sure I was just as bad. "Or maybe they call it an elf-crush. Who knows."

"Haldir?" I looked up to see Aragorn staring at us. Oh great. This guy was such a party pooper.

Oh wait. Haldir just died. Fudge...

"Different elf, Your Highness," Hallie said, staring boldly back at him. "Heck, you should know, you were there." I was so thankful that the halls were dark that night.

Regaining some of the intelligence I had left, I altered some of Hallie features with shadows. Imperceptibly. The arc of her nose. The color of her eyes, the shade of her skin. So she didn't look like Hallie. I did the same for myself. And I was honestly surprised I didn't turn us into cats or something.

"Different guy." I muttered to Hallie. "Different time."

Her eyes widened and she chugged some more ale.

This was honestly not my moment.

**Hallie - March 5, 1419 - Oh My Eru I'm Drunk in Rohan.**

"Oh my emu," I said, loudly, "I'm drunk in Rohan."

"Yeah, not Australia." Liz retorted.

Thankfully Aragorn had moved on, attributing our strange behavior to our drunken state. I hated being drunk. I almost completely ruined our experience. Bleh.

I think at that point I'd had seven pints and Liz had seven and a half. The half came from a time when Legolas had stopped to stare, and Liz was telling the story of dropping ale in his hair. I was still trying to catch up.

"You know what?" Liz said, staring at her empty pint. Fudge. You'd never know it, but the girl can down her ale.

"Hmm?"

"I could probably beat Gimli in a drinking contest."

"Sure ya could," I muttered, chugging the rest of my glass and finally catching up with Liz. "Legolas, though, is a completely different story."

"Of course he is. He's got too many Sues hangin' around his head. Can't ever get close to the elf." She looked up at one of the Rohirrim. "I went on adventure with him once. Me and my friends and the three Musketeers- well, one Musketeer and a pointy-eared tree-hugger, two of 'em actually, and a short guy with a beard."

"M-hm," I responded. "You know what would be weird? Two bacon dragons kissing."

"Dude!" Liz shouted. "We should go talk to Smaug!"

"And what? Tell him to leave Erebor peacefully? He's just gonna be all, nope."

I glanced down at my wrist as if looking for a watch. When I glanced back up again, Gandalf, Aragorn, and Legolas were all staring at us. I really hope Liz made us look different.

I could feel my face heating up. I leaned over to Liz. "We really gotta go. It's the Musketeer, the tree hugger, and the voice of impending and certain doom."

She glanced up. "I have something to say to each of you."

Facepalm.

"You were an idiot for breaking up with Arwen. You need to tell me the secret of your long and luscious hair. And you," she pointed to Gandalf, "really need to work on not speaking in riddles. It gets really, really annoying." They all stared at us like we were crazy. She stood up and bowed.

"We're outta here."

We linked arms (which caused Liz to start laughing hysterically) and walked out of the room, and across the balcony. We could hear some shouts behind us, but we didn't listen.

We walked right off the edge.

**Liz - June 14th - *Banging Head Against Wall Repeatedly***

Luckily for us, our time in Middle Earth was up as we walked off the edge of the balcony. If it hadn't been, we would have some broken bones to show for our adventure.

Or I would, anyway. Hallie's invulnerable.

Darn Hallie.

We ended up sitting on a rock behind the trees where we'd left our stuff, my book open between us. I had a pounding headache, but other than that, I felt fine. Maybe going through whatever portal had brought us home erased our drunkeness.

Oh my gosh. I was drunk.

That will NEVER happen again, I can assure you. My face was already beginning to turn red as I recalled some of what went on while we were involved in the drinking competition.

I looked over at Hallie, whose face was bright red... like a tomato. She glanced over at me.

"Let's... never... speak of that again," she said, slowly.

"Agreed." I reached out to grab my book. The wind picked up suddenly, flipping the pages. Hallie and I slammed our hands down on the book at the same time, and a flash of light blinded us, making my headache worse.

Crap.

* * *

**Like? Not like? Think we're weird? Suggestions? All can be answered in the magical review box below. **


End file.
